585FighterZ

Let's ROC 17 will be on 4/25!

Venue: Great Lakes Gaming Lounge

https://start.gg/letsroc

Schedule:

Doors Open: 12:00pm

Guilty Gear Strive: 1:30pm - $5

Super Smash Brothers Ultimate - Doubles: 2:00pm - $5

Rivals of Aether 1: 2:00pm - $2

Street Fighter 6: 2:30pm - $5

Dragon Ball FigherZ: 2:30pm - $2

Super Smash Brothers Ultimate - Singles: 3:00pm - $5

2xko: 3:30pm - $5 per team (can enter as a solo or a duo)

Rivals of Aether 2: 4:00pm - $2

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves: 4:30pm - $5

Tekken 8: 5:30pm - $5

Please bring setups!

Venue Fee: $15 at the door, $10 pre-reg

Various drinks/snacks to be sold on site by the venue.

For today’s post, we at The 585FighterZ want to spotlight a game that may represent both the first appearance of a Black character in video games and the earliest example of a fighting game.
Released by Sega in 1976, Heavyweight Champ is a monochrome boxing game featuring two fighters facing off in the ring—one lighter, one darker. Presented from a side view, it’s a one-on-one matchup centered entirely on hand-to-hand combat. While it lacks many of the features we now associate with fighting games, it’s hard not to see it as the genre’s foundation—or at the very least, its prototype.
As for its place in Black representation, some argue that the grayscale visuals make the fighters’ races ambiguous. Others point to the franchise’s 1987 color release, which leaves little doubt about the protagonist’s identity. Add in the original poster’s use of imagery from Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s iconic 1971 “Fight of the Century,” and we’re inclined to agree.

To kick off Black History Month we at the 585FighterZ would like to recognize the man that started it all.

Gerald “Jerry” Lawson the self taught electrical engineer heralded as the father of the video game cartridge. Mr. Lawson was also the inventor of the 8-way joystick and the creation and implementation of the pause button. Without him gaming as we know it wouldn't have come to pass.

Salute to you Mr. Lawson for giving us a way to access the many worlds we spend our time in.

We’ll have more for you tomorrow! Tune in!

Jingle Bell ROC

We're very happy to finally announce our big one! You might've heard about this if you attended Let's ROC 13 as we announced it there, but registration for Jingle Bell ROC is open!

This year we're emanating from 585Z HQ Great Lakes Gaming Lounge for JBRoc, which is our yearly gift to the Rochester/Upstate FGC and Smash scenes. Last year was our first and was a major success so you know we had to run it back and do it bigger! We've always thought it important to bridge the gap between FGC and platform fighters so bringing the Melee/64 and RoA scenes together with FGC mainstays like SF6 and Tekken 8 just seemed natural! This year we're adding 2XKO as a main title as well as showing love to our anime community with Guilty Gear Strive and UNI II as side games!

Each side game will have a $50 POT BONUS with each of the 8 main titles having a $100 POT BONUS!

We know with daily costs rising and the holiday season in full swing, that it may be difficult to afford spending funds on events. That's why venue for Jingle Bell ROC will only be $5! Best part is that 100% of the venue fees will be donated to The Pirate Toy Fund!

We will also be gathering donations of canned goods, new/gently used clothing, and brand new, unwrapped toys for children up to 14 years old. Donations of toys, food, or clothes will give free venue to the next Let's ROC event attended.

More details are below! Sign up NOW!!

🗓️ : Saturday Dec 13th
🗺️ : 100 S. Clinton Avenue - Innovation Square - Floor 22
🕛 : Doors open at 10:30AM
💲 : Venue $5
🚰 : Snacks and bevs sold on site

https://www.start.gg/jbroc

Alright folks, we're entering the final stretch of 2025 and if you're looking for quality FGC action in November, you know where to find it! Join us at 585Z HQ Great Lakes Gaming Lounge on Nov 22nd for Let's ROC 14!

This month 2XKO officially joins the lineup as a main title and is of course joined by our usual mainstays. Side games this month include Rivals of Aether 1 & 2 along with the return of BlazBlue Central Fiction for all you anime heads out there!

🗓️: Saturday Nov 22nd
🗺️: 100 S. Clinton Avenue - Innovation Square - Floor 22
🕛: Doors open at noon
💸: Venue $15 (Ways to save $$ on sign up page)
🍕: Pizza, snacks, and bevs sold on site

Sign up now: https://start.gg/letsroc

And of course please stay tuned for another big announcement this week regarding our final event of the year.... ❄️ ❄️ ❄️

Flower City Comic Con is hosting a cosplay meetup on Sunday November 16 from 5-8pm! There’s no charge, so break out your favorite cosplay and join us! There will be a cash bar and we’ll be providing snacks! We look forward to seeing you!!

After the massive success of Let's ROC 12 and our first Flower City Fight Fest, we're returning to 585Z HQ Great Lakes Gaming Lounge for lucky number 13!

Let's ROC 13 is a go for Oct 25! This is THE DESTINATION for the best FGC action in Rochester NY! DONT MISS IT!

This month's lineup features the debut of 2XKO! Go solo or bring your duo to watch your back as you go for the W and your share of the $100 pot bonus!

**2XKO entry is $10 per team ($10 for a single or $5 each if entering as a duo)**

We also have the releases of C.VIper in SF6 and Armor King in Tekken 8, so each of those titles will have a $50 pot bonus!

Side games will include Power Rangers Battle for the Grid (for all you Gridkids out there) and Rivals of Aether 1 and 2!

We also have big announcement concerning the end of the year so look forward to that as well! ❄️🎁

October is a big month for the FGC and we can't wait to add to the hype!

🗓️: Saturday Oct 25th
🕛: Doors open at noon
💲: Venue $15 (Ways to save $$ on sign up page)
🍕: Pizza, snacks, and bevs sold on site
👻: COSTUMES ENCOURAGED

Sign up NOW: https://start.gg/letsroc

ROC Royale 2 is happening on Saturday, September 20th, 2025! Get ready for an epic day of esports and community support.

Hosted by 585FighterZ Esports Entertainment Group, this quarterly youth tournament is more than just a competition; it's a celebration of community and empowerment. Join us to support local youth and families through the power of gaming.

Tournament Lineup

Madden 26: Double Elimination, 5-minute Quarters, All-Madden Difficulty

Mario Kart World: 16 players across 4 Grand Prix groups

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Standard GOML Tournament Rules

Tekken 8: Double Elimination Bracket

For more details and to register, visit the official page: start.gg/rocroyale

Help Us Give Back

Alongside the tournaments, we're holding several community drives to support Rochester families as they head back to school. Please consider donating to one of our drives:

Canned Food Drive

Toy Drive

Clothing Drive

Bookbag Drive: Our goal is to fill 200 bags with pens, pencils, folders, and notebooks!

Your support is crucial to creating an inclusive and impactful experience for Rochester’s youth. We hope to see you there!

585FighterZ Esports is gearing up for Flower City Fight Fest at Flower City Comic Con 2025!

We'll be hosting and showcasing over 12 different games for Con patrons to enjoy across the 3 day event! Win Medals & Prizes, participate in giveaways and receive swag from our sponsors! - https://www.start.gg/flowercity
FC3 2025:
https://www.fc3roc.com

Note - All events are free to enter, but purchase to the convention is required:
https://checkout.conventions.leapevent.tech/eh/FC3_2025

Would you like to Volunteer at a con? Sign Up Here: https://conventions.leapevent.tech/volunteers/apply_step_1/FC3_2025

FC3 Great Lakes Gaming

August 23rd we are celebrating a year of Let's ROCs with a huge event!

It's LR12 and we've got a massive lineup featuring the return of MK1, UNI2, and a whole slew of side games for folks to enjoy. Come through to 585Z HQ Great Lakes Gaming and throw hands with us!



Details 👇🏾